Tag: edwina mccann

During a busy work day and going through my countless emails, one from the holy grail of fashion and beauty publications caught my eye – Vogue’s newsletter, inviting beauty and wellness lovers to an evening at Endota Spa Paddington, including a Q&A with Edwina McCann, Vogue Australia Editor-in-chief.

I was all in and signed myself and my colleague up for what I hoped would be an evening of serious pampering, with a bit of inspirational chat from one of the best in the magazine world thrown in to boot.

I was not disappointed!

As soon as we walked through the door, I was met with what I can only describe as a wave of indulgent and relaxing aromas that instantly made all my work day worries wash away into a feeling of totally serenity. How is that spas have the magic way of doing this?!

We were greeted by the friendly staff, who had just the right balance of enthusiasm coupled with a lulling calm that made you never want to leave. After being escorted into the lounge area, some rather dishy young waiters (an added bonus and sorry I didn’t get a pic) served us little healthy treats and yummy green or orange juices. I had two juices by the way (so I could get double the goodness, obvs) and could feel all nutrients zinging away and reviving me. I must also give a special mention to the absolutely mouth-watering fruit platter, and yes, I got well and truly stuck into that too.

We were then ushered in for a bio face scan, which involved a hydration reading so they could ascertain what products might assist your personal skin needs. Luckily mine was more of a “maintain your skin as condition isn’t too bad”, as opposed to “it’s pretty haggard and you’re likely to need about x20 facials before we can get it back to any sort of normality.”

We were then treated to a heavenly little hand massage, and I bonded with my therapist, who it turns out was from North Wales originally! A little bit of home from home and a great natter added into the mix.

Upstairs is where the highlight of the evening really kicked off though, the Q&A with Edwina McCann, Vogue Australia Editor-in-chief. She talked about how she balances her own wellbeing, having a busy and sometimes stressful job alongside a family. Product wise, she couldn’t stop raving about an LED light treatment, which apparently gives skin a glow like no other, as well as improving serotonin levels. She was literally radiating a sense of calm, so it must be working.

Some further Googling later revealed the therapy is called – New Age Light Therapy:

Advanced endota spa New Age™ products infuse the skin to further plump and tone. The benefits Skin structure is improved. Skin is instantly rejuvenated, smooth and more youthful.

Might have to start saving for that one!

Edwina also spoke about how having resilience is probably one of the best lessons she’s taken from the people that have become or are successful.

They aren’t necessarily the best at what they do, but what sets them apart is that they don’t let the failures or stresses of life drag them down or make them crumble. They get up, dust themselves off, keep plodding onwards and gain the eventual rewards of reaching the upwards.

The above, along with the quote “This too shall pass,’’ meaning that in the midst of very stressful situations (for her, juggling motherhood and starting as the new Editor of two major publications) it’s important to keep the perspective that the storm will settle, eventually, were the two key takeaways that I took on board. Both inspiring and down to earth, with a flawless composure, it was a fantastic experience to be in an intimate setting and hear Edwina McCann speak.

Last but not least, we enjoyed a super short relaxing meditation, where we were all given a crystal. Ohhhhh so spiritual, I know, but in Sydney crystals are all the rage in the wellness world, I got totally on board. I chose Amethyst, its properties apparently include: healing powers to help with physical ailments and emotional issues, the curing of nightmares and insomnia, and balancing the crown chakra. I am a pretty light sleeper so any help in this department to cure those ‘shopping bags’ under my eyes wouldn’t go amiss.

The Endota spa philosophy, from what I gauged, is all about creating a haven for emotional replenishment. Their focus is on helping you reconnect with your best self through physical and emotional replenishment. Even after a two-hour event in the spa, I could totally see how this gorgeous haven of wellbeing was addictive!

The event was an excellent seller of the spa, backed up by the kudos of having Vogue on board to endorse it. So much so, I found myself in line queuing up to buy the, ironically, eye-wateringly pricey eye cream at the end, which I was recommended during my skin bio scan, so here’s hoping it really does cure those emerging crows- feet! A nice surprise at the till was that the price of our entry ticket was money off the product too, plus we did walk out the door with a jam packed goodie bag, including a wellness journal, so I didn’t feel too bad about splashing the cash.

The recommendation of a monthly facial, now I’m in my thirties eeeek, does seem a little hard to justify, but when one therapist highlighted that it just depends where you put your investment i.e. compared to expensive clothes, shoes, pricey coffees and countless smashed avo on toast brunches that satisfy only momentarily, you have your skin suit on for life. Well, she ain’t wrong there. Maybe it’s just about swapping out a few of those G&Ts and Espresso Martinis for a few more LED light facials?

Korean’s start their skincare regime at the tender age of 13 years old apparently, so we should probably take note, especially in the Aussie climate where the ozone layer is not so kind, and perhaps even more so for us ex-pat Brits, and our love of sunbathing which can cause the ageing process to accelerate – goodbye elasticity and collagen!

On that note, I’m off to deep cleanse my face and pop on the eye cream. Fingers crossed, in a week’s time I will emerge like a butterfly from a cocoon with the skin of a 20-year old!